Gay porn can cause body dysmorphia and mental health issues, says study
By Joshua Haigh
A new study has revealed a link between gay porn consumption, body dysmorphia and mental health issues.
Published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior last month, the study monitored 1,071 gay and bisexual men’s gay porn consumption.
The authors of the study, entitled Viewing Sexually Explicit Media and Its Association with Mental Health Among Gay and Bisexual Men Across the US, found that men who watch lots of gay porn have a more negative attitude toward their body, as well as mental health issues including depression.
Jeffrey T. Parsons, one of the study’s authors, spoke to Vice about the worrying results, and explained that some men may idolise the bodies seen in porn to extreme lengths.
“It’s more about, to what degree [some men are] allowing those idealised body types to become so dominant in their thinking that it negatively affects how they view themselves.”
He added that there are benefits to sexually explicit media, as some gay men learn about sex and, for some men, porn can lead to a “more satisfying sexual life.”
Parsons also revealed that much of the negative body image might stem from several issues gay and bisexual men already deal with, including “stigma, discrimination” and stress from being part of a “marginalised group.”
Speaking about negative body image and a link to not taking HIV medication on time, Parsons blamed “President” Trump.
He said: “If you add Trump’s daily threats to the LGBT+ community, and overlay that with the feeling ‘I feel bad about my body,’ the idea of then taking your HIV medications it’s like, well, maybe I’ll just put that aside because I’m feeling so depressed and anxious and unhappy with how I look.”
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